Lowdown on the Hightower (bike, not Jim)

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I'm writing about the Santa Cruz Hightower for three reasons:

First, it's one of our top-end bikes in this year's Rim Tours rental fleet.

Second, Bike Magazine just posted a nice review of it.

Third, I have a major case of Hightower envy: the Hightower replaces the widely lauded Tallboy LTc, which was one of the first long-travel 29ers on the market, and which is the bike I ride. As soon as I'm ready to upgrade, I'm getting a Hightower! (The problem is, I love my TBLTC!)

To quote the Bike Mag review: "We loved how the Hightower made easy work of rough, high-speed descents." I think it's one of the reasons The Hightower is such a great fit for our fleet here at Rim Tours.

Many of our multi-day tours feature numerous long stretches of fast and rough downhill, such as The 5-day and 6-day Maze tours, with the seemingly never-ending thrill ride down The Flint Trail that connects straight into the amazing Golden Staircase.

Riders descend the Flint Trail on a 5-day mtb tour in The Maze, Canyonlands NP
Riders descend the Flint Trail on a 5-day mtb tour in The Maze, Canyonlands NP

It just goes for miles and miles with you racing as fast as you dare let her go. A bike like The Hightower gives you the stability to stay off the brakes, even when the road gets crazy rough and you are really flying.

Another big plus: The Hightower can go both ways. Whether you prefer the rollability of a 29er, or the greater manauverability of the boosted 27.5, you can choose, or even switch back and forth.

The Hightower’s full-carbon frame is built around a refined Virtual Pivot Point suspension design, features Boost front-and rear-hub spacing and is compatible with both 29-inch and 27.5+ wheels and tires. A geometry flip chip in the link that drives the shock allows the frame to accept both wheel sizes, while keeping geometry consistent.